Gujarat: Kejriwal promises to set up advisory body of traders, end 'raid raj'

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday said his party will form an "advisory body" of traders to guide the government if it came to power in Gujarat in the coming Assembly elections.

The Delhi chief minister also promised sops related to Value Added Tax (VAT) and said the party's government would stop the "raid raj" as he met a group of traders here.

Kejriwal arrived in BJP-ruled Gujarat, where elections are due by year-end, for a two-day visit on Saturday. "I am not here to seek donations, I do not need donations. I am here to make traders and industrialists partners in the development of Gujarat," he said.

"You will be treated as partners when AAP forms a government here. You will give the order and the government will implement that order," he added.

As part of his "guarantees" to the trader community, Kejriwal said the AAP will form an "advisory body" to guide the government if it came to power. "There are different types of businesses, different industries, and different problems come up every day. So we will form an advisory body with representatives from every sector. You will tell the government what to do, and the government will do it. Your decision will be binding on the government," he said.

The other "guarantees" of the AAP included a commitment to do away with "atmosphere of fear" among the business community and treat them with respect. An AAP government in Gujarat will put an end to the "raid raj" or harassment of traders and businesspersons by government agencies, he said. It will also offer an amnesty scheme for Value Added Tax arrears and implement a VAT refund mechanism within six months, Kejriwal said.